


Sweet Dreams

by RoseGardenTwilight



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged Up, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, alternate sandboy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-08 02:44:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16420871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseGardenTwilight/pseuds/RoseGardenTwilight
Summary: The sleep dust affects the miraculous holders differently, and it lulls Ladybug into a deep slumber. Now it's up to Chat to travel inside her dreams and convince her that reality is better than her wildest dreams. Alternate version of Sandboy





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A.N.- And I'm back from my two-week break, although if I'm honest I probably only spent like 2 days of that not writing. This is the one that had an overwhelming amount of votes, so I'm writing this before the one-shots.  
> A couple of things:  
> 1\. This is my version of Sandboy and that episode, so things are slightly different.  
> 2\. Aged up till like 17/18 so this happened later than what it did in the show.  
> 3\. Enjoy!

Marinette glanced up from her sketchpad to see 12:30 am plastered on her alarm clock. The stiff muscles relaxed with a simple stretch, and her hands rubbed her tired eyes. Staying up late wouldn't be so taxing if she didn't also have to balance her responsibilities as Ladybug. There was a fashion design contest next week that she hoped to submit if she ever finished. The only sound that filled the room was the tap of her pencil. Usually, Tikki kept her company and told her stories of past Ladybugs to past the time. To ask her to stay with her would have been selfish, especially if they could contact Nooroo. Marinette could manage to keep herself entertained for the night.

"Sandboy has checked in; now dreams can begin." Her head snapped to the window in time to see a blue figure floating on what looked like a pillow leaving dust in his wake. That was an akumatized victim if she’d ever seen one.

"Tikki, we have to-" She stopped herself short. Master Fu's rule of Kwami’s staying with their owner started to make more sense, but thankfully he only lived a few blocks away. If she ran, she could pick up Tikki and take down Sandboy.

 

Adrien let out a groan staring at his Literature textbook, how was he supposed to know what the author meant by a color? He shifted his gaze toward his phone debating on how easy it would be to reach out to his study partner. No doubt Marinette would be up. They had gotten in the habit of reaching out to each other if they were bored or needed help with homework. He enjoyed their conversations, the laughter they would share, and even the times where they would sit and comfortably in the silence when no words were necessary. His fingers itched to call, but instead, he turned a page in his textbook.

"Sandboy has checked in; now dreams can begin." The words hung in the air coating his skin with goosebumps. Did Hawkmoth have nothing to do at 12:30 in the morning? His test was still tomorrow even if he had to deal with an Akuma attack. It’s not like he could drop the excuse that he fought crime all night, and he had to excel in school to please his father. The one good thing about the attack was that would see his lady love.

“Plagg, claws out.” Adrien fully expected for his kwami to jump from his resting place on the pillow transforming him, but nothing happened. “Come on Plagg; Ladybug needs us.” Silence echoed through the room for a couple of seconds before Adrien made the short walk over to his bed; the covers got ripped back to reveal a black sock cat instead. This couldn’t be happening. His kwami had either turned into a sock or run away, and his lady and Paris needed him. It wasn’t like he could go without his powers...or could he? The idea sparked, he knew that his father kept a copy of his costume for the music video. If he wore it, he could still help until he found out exactly where Plagg had gone. The idea screamed dangerous, but that didn’t stop Adrien as he started to dig through his closet. I can’t let her down; his mind raced again. As soon as he found his fake suit, he zipped it on with ease. His unsteady hands cupped the edges of his mask. The sound of thunder rolled answering the lightning dancing across the sky.

_You could die._

The thought stopped him in his tracks, and his gaze landed on a nearby mirror. No one would probably tell the difference at first glance until his powers were needed. He would deal with that hurdle when it arose, in the meantime, Adrien clung to the hope that his Kwami would magically turn up. Until then he would be trapped in a tailspin of fear.

_Are you willing to die for her?_

An image of Ladybug laughing flashed in his mind as she cooed her nickname for him. He had professed his love for his partner on several occasions, put his neck on the line, but this was different. Adrien, not Chat Noir would feel every punch, blow and hard landings that would befall him. If he did die, who knew how it would affect his father, Nathalie, his friends, Marinette. At the thought of her his stomach churned, she cared so deeply for her friends, if he could watch her at his funeral, it would break his heart. But regardless, he had to go; Ladybug needed him. It was the reason cats had nine lives, right? He could only hope that he wouldn’t lose one of his tonight.

The rain started to come down, but it pushed Adrien closer to the commotion. He decided at that moment he would never take rooftop jumping for granted again. It made things so much simpler. Then he saw her, his lady in red already in action fighting Sandboy. What she failed to see was that he was about to strike.

“Ladybug look out!” Everything slow as he felt the breath ripped from his lungs. She turned towards him instead of the danger and the dust engulfed her. He couldn’t do anything to stop it. When the rain drove away from the remainder, Adrien felt his heart drop. His lady laid motionless on a cloud that Sandboy created.

“She’s mine,” he growled lowly.

“Over my dead body,” Adrien bit back.

“That can be arranged,” his evil grin spread across his lips.

Adrien pulled out his fake staff hoping that it would aid him somehow. His fingers dipped into a secret button in the paw, and the staff extended, not enough for him to reach her, but it made him question what else it could do. He spun it in his hand before sinking into a defensive position. The only way that Sandboy would get out of here with Ladybug had to do with his body in a body bag. At that point, Hawkmoth would have what he needed, and Paris would have a whole new set of trouble.

He quickly dodged an attack and narrowed his focus, unless his staff could extend a couple of stories, he would be at a disadvantage.

“Why pull out that copycat when you can have the original?” Just like that, his heart swelled and jumped inside his chest.

“Plagg, I’ve never been happier to see you!” Adrien exclaimed not wanting to admit for a hot second that he thought his kwami had morphed into a sock. The idea seemed silly now.

“You owe me so much camembert for this.”

“Plagg, claws out!” There was no greater feeling than his real suit covering him from head to toe. He felt power and adrenaline coursing through him; now he had a fighting chance. He used his staff and vaulted up to the roof to provide an equal battlefield. He threw himself towards Sandman as he tried to tackle him. When he missed, he used his strength and his staff to catapult him back towards him. He knocked him onto the rooftop and only managed to get one punch in before he got blasted with sand like substance. Thankfully he flipped back and landed on his feet.

“Cataclysm!” His hand engulfed in the dark energy, and he eyed his pillow, that must be where the Akuma hid. If he stopped Sandboy, Ladybug might wake up and make everything right. He took a running leap off the building but as he reached out to touch the pillow with his active hand but suddenly was blasted off course. Unfortunately, it hit hand wasting his power. Sandman’s focus broke and as a result of the cloud that his partner lay on disintegrated.

“Ladybug!” He had to abort his mission. Taking down Sandboy would do nothing if Ladybug died from the impact. Adrien was suddenly grateful that Plagg showed up when he did. His staff extended upward till he met her in mid-air. He wrapped an arm around her torso and skillfully landed without any damage. She was alive that’s all that mattered, although he would be lying if he said the fact that she hadn’t woken up didn’t concern him.

“Give her back,” he snarled.

“Never,” In a snap movement, Chat positioned his partner; cradling her in his arm and bolted down an alley where he couldn’t follow him. His ring beeped, but he couldn’t worry about that now, the number one focus should be getting his lady to safety then waking her up. What did that dust do to her? He was in over his head. Usually, when these occasions occurred, he would turn to the sleeping girl in his arms.

Master Fu! The thought hit him like a brick wall. How could he not think about him sooner? After all, he was who Ladybug turned to when she needed help. The shop wasn’t too much farther; they could make it without detection. All the meantime as he ran as fast as he could he prayed that he wouldn’t be too late.

 

“What happened?” Master Fu cleared off the table for Chat to lay down his lady.

“Sandboy got her...and she hasn’t woken up. If I didn’t get her out of there, Hawkmoth would have her miraculous. I didn’t know where else to go.” Master Fu circled Ladybug which didn’t ease his anxiety. Ladybug needed to be awake before they could purify the Akuma, and the longer she slept, the more powerful he became, almost as if the action drained the life out of her body.

“I have just the thing,” the guardian slipped into the other room giving the two a small window of privacy.

“Fight this LB; you’re the strongest person I know.” He hesitantly reaches out and stroked her cheek the cool flesh stirred doubt inside him. She was fading, and fast.

“Drink this,” Master Fu returned carrying a purple liquid in a cup. The aroma wafted in his direction made him want to gag. If this was how it smelled, he could only imagine the taste. “We don’t have time. I can’t bring her out of her self-conscious state; something is keeping her there. I can, however, link your dreams so you can go in and convince her to wake up.” Adrien opened his mouth to argue the impossibility of that, but since he became a superhero, there wasn’t much he didn’t believe was possible. “Won’t I know her identity?” If he went through this, he would have access to her mind and thoughts without her permission.

“We will deal with that after you wake her. There is no other way, and Paris needs her.” Adrien glanced at her sleeping form for a couple of seconds before grabbing the liquid and chugging it down. His world started spinning and instantly felt the need to lay down. Master Fu helped him on the table, and he grasped Ladybug’s hand lightly.

“I’m coming, my lady,” he uttered before sleep claimed him.

 

Paris. At least Ladybug dreamed of somewhere familiar. Chat didn’t know what he would do if he landed in a country he had never been to, now he needed to find her. There were so many places for her to be, the only thing that aided him was the knowledge of the city.

He watched a Parisian walk cross the sidewalk, “Excuse me,” he called out hoping to get some assistance. But the mother and daughter pair continued as if he was invisible. Chat’s smile faltered, maybe this wouldn’t be as easy as he thought. Ladybug could be anywhere. He tried to gain the attention of three more sets of people but failed at every attempt. They seemed more like mindless shells walking the streets of Paris. Chat wondered if he stumbled more into a nightmare; he’d seen plenty of movies where the zombies suddenly overtook the city. Hopefully, that wasn’t the case; there was no way of knowing if his powers worked in here let alone what damage it could cause to Ladybug’s mind. The wind rustled a newspaper until it caught at his feet. The second he bent to pick it up the headline caught his attention.

Agreste Wedding Upon Us

His heart skipped. Ladybug dreamed that she married him? Whether she knew his secret or not, the thought invigorated him. She would pick plain old boring Adrien (compared to his cooler self) and love him enough to spend her life with him. It wasn’t until he unfolded the newspaper that he found his heart stop then shatter inside his chest.

Ladybug didn’t want to marry him; she dreamt that he married _Marinette_.

She must have seen them together and got the wrong idea; not that there was anything wrong with Marinette. She was talented, kind and beautiful; he would be lucky if she had her sights set on him. But with his rigid lifestyle, Adrien doubted that he would draw any romantic attention from anyone at school.

This still gave him a starting point, he didn’t know where Ladybug was, but he knew that he could trust Marinette to help him find her. If she was indeed marrying his civilian self (the thought stirred something inside him), then his best chance of finding her was the Agreste mansion. He was surprisingly pleased when his staff could extend giving the option to jump the rooftops.

His home was right where he remembered it, with a couple of modifications to it which included a gazebo on the front corner of the home. When he crept closer, his ears picked up some of the conversation.

“I love you.” Marinette’s confession stained his cheeks even though she didn’t speak directly to him. His mind placed the words on repeat, and each time it played his heart swelled in his chest.

 **Focus Adrien**.

Marinette, if she could talk, then she would be useful. He could use someone in his corner, and if Ladybug wasn’t around, Marinette was his second choice.

“Luckily for you, I could never forget.” The words caused him to pause. The voice sounded exactly like him, not in dialect but the tone. If he was there then who was that? The curiosity drew him closer, this could only be described as dangerous, but Chat couldn’t bring himself to care. He tripped when he watched whoever was impersonating him steal a kiss from Marinette. His blood boiled, she must not know that she was being tricked. Suddenly he felt her eyes on him, and all he could do was freeze. The second she removed her gaze he dropped to the ground concealing his location once more. One of the first things on his agenda, get Marinette away from that creep and this place then formulate a plan to rescue Ladybug; where ever she was.

 

“I love you,” her smile widened as Adrien leaned in and stole another kiss. She had been waiting her whole life for a marriage with the man in front of her. She belonged to him, as he did to her. Nothing would get in the way of this.

“I love you too,” his fingers slid down to join with her hands. “And to think two days from now you’ll be Mrs. Agreste, and we’ll never be apart. You can stay here, with me, forever. Would you like that?”

“More than anything in the world,” she replied tenderly. “I can’t wait for my family, Alya, Nino to come and see this.” She dropped his hands to travel to the edge of the gazebo’s railings. “I knew from the moment we shared in the rain that it would be you....” Her words and her brow began to furrow.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t remember how you proposed,” she confessed softly. Marinette turned back to the blonde who closed the gap and rested his forehead on hers.

“Luckily for you, I could never forget.” Their eyes locked again, and Marinette resisted the urge to kiss him again in favor of gaining her answer. “It was after one of my fashion shows, I stopped us on the red carpet and dropped to my knee. I said that there wasn’t anyone else I could imagine my life with....do you remember?” Her memory kicked into overdrive. She vaguely remembered, but it felt like that was a dream rather than reality. What person would forget their proposal? Especially from the man, she was madly in love with. She should be overjoyed, but a gut in her stomach screamed that something was off.

“Yes,” If nothing else she wanted the off feeling to go away, Adrien loved her. “How silly of me to forget.” Her eyes wandered off him when she swore she saw something from the corner of her eye. “Chat Noir?” The words are barely audible. She could have sworn that she saw her partner, but it didn’t make sense why he was there. An Akuma attack? Leave it to Hawkmoth to cause chaos so close to the wedding. Her blue eyes searched for another glimpse again but came up empty. She must have seen things; the wedding planning had been stressful after all. Adrien took the couple steps before guiding her lips to meet his. Warmth enveloped her being, and all other thoughts drifted away; when they parted her eyes only opened half-mast.

“I love you,” she repeated once more lost in bliss. Adrien flashed one of his boyishly handsome grins.

“In two short days, you’ll be all mine. Why don’t you go inside and freshen up? I’m going to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow.” As soon as she slipped into the home, his eyes scanned the surrounding area for the trespassing superhero. Chat Noir joining their dream was unexpected, but he would be taken care of in no time. It was torture enough to disguised himself as this Adrien guy to gain her attention. After tomorrow it wouldn’t matter, she would stay with him. No one would take his love away from him, not in his world.

 


	2. Beautiful Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N. - Decided to update early because of the release of the Mayura airing on Saturday. I'm blown away by the response from you all. Hope you enjoy chapter 2.

Marinette always wondered how brides felt on their wedding day. She assumed it was an overwhelming amount of love, and support, and nerves. Her hands went to smooth the dress, but the butterflies continued to flutter against her stomach. In less than 24 hours, she would be Mrs. Marinette Agreste and married to the love of her life. The dream of owning a home with him, three beautiful children and at least a hamster could finally come to fruition.

Her nose scrunched slightly. No, another memory gap wouldn’t bother her and ruin her wedding. All the decorations looked immaculate, exactly what she would pick for her wedding without a doubt; the problem was she didn’t remember planning any of it. From decor to her dress, she couldn’t conjure up a single memory from the planning stages. If asked, she couldn’t even answer what her color scheme was or who all was attending her big day off the top of her head. Maybe it could be considered that her nerves are repressing her memories, after how long she waited this day; it would explain the missing memories.

She needed Adrien’s touch; his hugs and kisses never failed to calm her. He had even been so patient with her when their times together were nothing but blank spaces in her mind. Adrien hadn’t mentioned any battles that she had been in that would spark the memory loss, but at this rate, she might as well woken from a coma.

A sudden moment of weakness caused her knees to give way, and she collapsed on the bed. The house echoed the silence back to her. She hadn’t seen a single decorator or anyone for that matter on her trip up here. Adrien assures her that everything for the wedding would be taken care of.

Marinette reached out to grab her cell phone and called her mom; she would surely have advice for her. Disappointment settled in when it was sent to voicemail.

When she thought of weddings, it was laughter and love and surrounded by family. Then the bride and groom would go to their new home. Right now, it felt like an empty shell of a house.

 

“You’re so beautiful,” he hadn’t meant to say anything, but as soon as he laid eyes on Marinette in that dress, he couldn’t help himself. He always knew that Mari was beautiful but seeing her standing there in front of the mirror in her wedding dress, it took his breath away.

“Chaton, what are you doing here?” Marinette crossed the room closing the gap between them.  “Is it Hawkmoth?” His eyebrows furrowed, the fact that she was concerned for him touched him, but Marinette shouldn’t be anywhere near a battle.

“Yes,” He found himself hesitating, how could he explain why he was there? “It’s not safe, we need to leave, now.” Chat grabbed for her hand, and their hands instantly lace and guided her towards the window.

“Wait,” She tugged on his arm. “We can’t. Not without Adrien.” Every muscle in his body tensed at his name, and yet, she had no knowledge that the real Adrien Agreste stood before her.

“No!” he blurted out then quickly backtracked, “he’s under Hawkmoth’s control!” It couldn’t have been a believable lie by the way that she crossed her arms.

“No, he’s not. I would be able to tell if he’s been akumatized when he looks into my eyes…it’s like he’s searching my”- Before she could finish her thought Chat walked towards her, his black leather hands gently gripped her cheeks, not once did his gaze waver off hers. His touch, even through his glove, set off a fire within the pit of her stomach and spread to every inch of her body. She found herself grasping for words, but her throat dried up the second his eyes flickered down to her lips and back. It’s not that she never considered Chat Noir romantically, but Adrien had already laid claim to her heart. That didn’t stop the butterflies and the fact that they were inches apart, and all she wanted to do was kiss him. Her head spun making her knees weak, but his gaze held her in place. How could her partner make her feel more in one instant then the man she was supposed to wed tomorrow? “Soul,” she finished lamely.

“Are you sure about that Princess?” Her breath hitched again when he leaned in ever so slightly, and his nose traced parts of her face. The hot breath mingling on her face evoked a new wave of dizziness and desire.

“I-I,” all ability to form words failed, and she fought her initial instincts.

“What, Chat got your tongue?” He had the control at that moment, and they both knew it. Chat couldn’t explain his behavior if he tried. Year after year he claimed to love Ladybug, but at this moment with Marinette, thoughts of his partner faded. The way she reacted to him- for a moment he thought she wanted him to kiss her and everything in his body screamed to oblige. Marinette had been a close friend over the years, but something had changed. Feelings swelled inside him, thoughts that didn’t pertain to the just friend category.

Thoughts of make out sessions under the summer sun and cuddling sessions in the dead of winter. The temptation to dip down and steal a kiss raced through his bloodstream, how could he have these thoughts if she was just a friend? He supposed he could blame her scent that overwhelmed him- cinnamon, vanilla, and raspberries. It sent his mind reeling back to the bakery, her parents, a second kind of home. It was undeniable; he wanted that and her.

“Come with me,” he cooed in her ear as his thumb ran across her lip. So maybe he was giving into his temptations and desires for her to agree, but it was for her safety. The Adrien she had fallen for was nothing but an imposter, and he desperately wanted her to experience the genuine article.

“Kitty I”-

“Sweetheart, where are you?” The third voice snapped the two out of the trance they kept each other under.

“You need to leave, like now.” She pushed back on him with surprising strength. Chat managed to grab her hand, stopping her in the tracks.

“I’m not leaving without you.” The footsteps were approaching, and the two met a stalemate.

“Fine, stubborn cat, then hide,” she hissed the last word with importance.

“Just a second darling, I’m in my dress. We wouldn’t want to bring on bad luck.” All the meantime her hands started shoving her partner towards the closet. “Wait,” Marinette pulled him back towards her. “Undo the zipper.” Chat’s eyes grew to saucers and swallowed hard.

“Yo-you want me to-“

“I don’t have time to argue Chaton, he’s on his way up, and I need help to get out of this thing, please.”

“I won’t look, I promise.” His words were more said for his benefit. If he allowed his eyes to linger, he would have more problems to deal with. His fingers grasped the zipper and started to pull downward. He had closed his eyes as promised but the contact he had with her skin more than fueled his imagination. When he felt the zipper hit the bottom, he gulped, “Done,” he announced to no one in particular.

“Closet. Now. “ Chat had to peak through one eye to prevent running into the wall with the way she pushed him. The door closed before he could protest further, but not before her wedding dress got shoved into his hands. Through the slots, he could see into the room but remain hidden from the outside world. His own outside looking in; if even an inkling that something would happen to Marinette he had to be on the fly ready to defend her.

“Come in,” he froze as Marinette’s word clung to the air and the imposter opened the door.

“There you are,” He leaned in and planted a tender kiss on her lips. The urge to gag had to be suppressed, Adrien didn’t know whether to be offended that she couldn’t tell the genuine article.

The wedding dress in his arms still lingered with her warmth; it was hard to watch her fawn over “Adrien Agreste” with the knowledge that she had the wrong guy.

 

“I was on the phone, darling. We have something called a wedding tomorrow.” She teased, but on the inside, her stomach lurched. When he kissed her, it was numb in comparison to her almost kiss with her partner. If Adrien hadn’t interrupted them, who knows what would have happened. Her gaze betrayed her and lingered at the closet, which behind the doors Chat probably clutched her wedding dress. It would be hard enough to explain without telling Adrien who she was, but that secret had to come out eventually. She couldn’t in good conscious hide something that big without shielding off a section of herself.

“Is something bothering you, my love?” Marinette’s lips curled between her teeth. It would make sense to tell him now in case he reacted poorly; it could give him a chance to back out.

“I-“ This was never how she imagined this conversation would go. “I miss Alya, that’s all.” The excuse tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop. What? Where had that come from? Of course, she missed Alya, but that wasn’t the current thing on her mind.

Adrien’s hands laced through her hair, and his forehead came to rest on her own. “Are you sure that’s all?” Her secret clawed at her throat, not to be relieved by anything including Adrien’s touch. Her confidence swayed. Was she hesitant because she knew she would lose him because of it, or because she wasn’t ready to tell? The pit in her stomach tightened. Adrien might be her future husband, but Chat was her partner for so many years. Her eyes wandered to the closet where Chat was currently hiding; he couldn’t find out, not from a side confession.

“Yeah,” she breathed out. “That’s all.” Adrien leaned in to kiss her once more, and once more his lips didn’t provide comfort or warmth. She raised her hands to dig into his hair only to feel a grainy texture against her fingertips.

“Why is your hair all sandy?” She laughed into another kiss. Adrien froze for a moment unable to answer.

“I-uh took a walk along the beach earlier.” The answer won over any insecurities she had of desperately wanting to feel something. But with every kiss, Marinette felt the numbness spread throughout her body.

 

A cough pulled him back out of his jealousy; especially when he realized he wasn’t in here alone. There wasn’t a lot of room for him to move around the closet thanks to the wedding dress in his possession. His eyes wandered until they landed on a small bed tucked in the corner with a creature whose ragged breaths staggered in and out. Without warning, Plagg released the transformation and raced to her side.

“Tikki!” Adrien could have scolded his kwami for making enough noise to draw attention. But his civilian self still wore the Chat Noir outfit from earlier, and he could probably fake it if “Adrien" caught him red handed.

Wait. Tikki.

He had only heard that name a couple of times because of its uniqueness. Plagg had been the only one to mention Tikki and when asked, was told, that she was Ladybug’s kwami.

“Sugar cube, are you ok?” The black cat nuzzled her head affectionately. Adrien wasn’t sure he had ever seen Plagg so affectionate towards anyone; it almost reminded him of how he acted around Ladybug.

“Plagg?” The red creature whispered weakly. "What are you doing here? Where's your chosen?"

"I'm here," Adrien whispered the words clinging to his throat. His mind swirled with possibilities. Ladybug’s kwami didn’t look too good, but if Tikki was here that meant that Ladybug was in her civilian form. They weren’t supposed to wander off from their owners, which meant Ladybug was probably be held captive in this house. He could grab Mari and spread out and look for her-

‘ _You don’t even know what she looks like out of the mask,_ ” his mind reminded him. All the reasons she had given for them not to reveal their identities seemed to weigh on him heavily.

“Kid, she’s in bad shape. You need to do something.”

“What could I possibly do?” Even though he had a kwami, his knowledge only skimmed the top of everything that he could know.

“I don’t know, talk to Marinette!”

“Marinette?” He mumbled quietly. What could she possibly know about-

The realization hit him in the gut. Eyes wide and mouth agape, Adrien was glad he didn’t yell and give away his position.

“You don’t mean...” His voice trailed off once more head spinning in a million directions. “She’s-“

“Been under your nose the whole time, we get it. Tikki and Master Fu made her promise to keep it a secret, but given the circumstances”-

“Wait, you knew?” Adrien shot back his adrenaline skyrocketing.

“You can punish me later, take away my beloved Camembert. I don’t have time for you two to dance around each other until you figure it out. You two were really blind.”

Adrien didn’t hear his kwami; his mind was running three words on loop. _Marinette is Ladybug. Marinette is Ladybug. Marinette is Ladybug._

The talented, smart, beautiful, brave girl that sat in front of him in class also risked her life on a daily basis to selflessly save Paris. How could he possibly miss the connection? Could Plagg be right and he had been blind? The one thing Adrien knew, he was way over his head.

Marinette was already out of his league to begin with, but now that he knew what she did with her spare time, it made her untouchable. She had to like him as more than a friend to an extent because their supposed wedding took place tomorrow. For the life of him, he couldn’t imagine why she was settling for him.

Sure, on the surface, going to galas or traveling for photo shoots or fashion shows sounded exotic, but if it got stripped away, his life lay bare. His father barely made time for him; mother had been gone for over a year. He had some friends but very few he felt he could confide in, and he hadn’t the first clue how to be the good, let alone the perfect boyfriend she deserved.

Now Plagg wanted him to go out and face her like he was asking her what they covered in class.

“Plagg claws out,” he called his kwami back into his miraculous the moment he heard the door shut.

 _Coward_ , his mind spat, and Adrien knew he couldn’t argue. But who could blame him when the love of his life could do so much better than boring old Adrien Agreste. He stood more of a chance if he never shared his name.

 

What in the world got into her? Marinette turned, so her back met the door before her legs turned to mush. She had lied to the supposed love of her life, but the part that scared her was that she would do it again in a heartbeat. How could she expect for her marriage to Adrien to bloom if she started hiding things from him, or worse not feel guilty?

What’s worse is that Adrien’s behavior reflected her lie. After he started giving short answers, the glimmer in his eye faded. He was the last person that she wanted to disappoint. She didn’t doubt her love for the model until Chat-

Until Chat showed up.

She had lived in her bliss until her partner had shown up. He had gotten in her head and made her doubt her beloved Adrien. She needed time and space to clear her head. Marinette tore open the closet doors, eyes narrowed.

“You need to leave,” Marinette started with her arms crossed.

“That’s the spirit, now gather everything that you need, and I’ll have us out of here in a blink of an eye,” Chat added with a wink.

“Without me,” she watched as his eyes widen in shock and her wedding dress dropped to the floor.

_Stay strong Marinette._

“Wait, what?” He held up his hands, “Mil-Princess, what’s wrong? Talk to me.” His cat ears drooped weighed by disappointment and confusion. Adrien didn’t understand how her mood shifted so much.

“You said that you wanted to go, but I’m not going without Adrien.” The urge to ram his head into the wall grew by the second. How many times did they have to cover this? He was running out of excuses besides the fact that he was, in fact, Adrien Agreste.

“Trust me. You’re too close to the situation, and Adrien can’t come.” Inviting anyone working for Hawkmoth was out of the question. He had a job to protect her.

“I trust Adrien with my whole heart. I need more than just your word that he’s under Hawkmoth’s control. So, tell me Chat, what’s one good reason why can’t he go?”

Adrien lost it. Without warning, he closed the gap between them and smashed his lips on hers in a needy fashion. It wasn’t conventional; he hoped that he would be able to show her exactly who he was. Instant electricity flowed between them as she melted into his touch. The contact didn’t last for longer than a minute before he got shoved away followed promptly by a sharp stinging sensation to his check.

Marinette couldn’t deny it; she felt something. The emotions that stirred inside of her caused more confusion and anger for the feelings arose in the first place.

“This is what I’m talking about Chat. This unnecessary flirting has to stop; I’m about to get married to Adrien Agreste tomorrow. You can’t just swoop in and change that just because you’re jealous. You have to accept that you’re my partner and nothing more.” The words stuck the air chilling the room. Marinette wished she could take back her sharp words, especially when she watched his face crumble. She went too far.

“Fine, I’ll go.” Adrien all but growled. “But don’t blame me when you find out that I”- His words caught in his throat. He couldn’t tell her who he was, not like this. Adrien always pictured the moment of the reveal to be sweet and vulnerable not born out of anger. “That I was right.” Every bone in his body screamed to stay as he made his way to the balcony. “I hope you and your perfect guy are happy together.”

“Chat”- Marinette’s voice dropped to a whisper, but she still eyed him like a wounded animal, and he couldn’t stand it. With a quick motion, his staff launched himself towards the roof.

Marinette flopped on her bed, no energy left to give the day. Tears pricked her eyes, but she held them back. Why did it feel like she had a fight with her fiancé rather than Chat Noir? He had to be jealous; that was the only explanation especially since he knew who she was. He probably wouldn’t care if Marinette married Adrien Agreste. His behavior could only be a result that another man won his lady’s heart. Chat would get over her eventually, and find someone that would overly enjoy every cat pun that could roll off his tongue.

Like you?Her mind quipped. Instantly, the memory of Chat interrupting her earlier flashed in her mind.

Her mind would betray her like this. The tears flowed freely; her body laid like a rag doll until she couldn’t fight the sleep that drifted over her.

 

A permanent scowl found Sandboy’s lips. So that pesky cat had made an appearance but going in and confronting her would not aid his current plan. His disguise started to crumble because someone caused her faith in him to waver. Sandboy had no doubt who had “helped” her come to the doubt-filled conclusions. Chat Noir would have to be dealt with if he wanted any chance of keeping Ladybug to himself. Once she committed herself to him, then she couldn’t leave, and the effects were irreversible. A dull pain grew to a roar in the back of his mind. That could only mean one thing.

“Yes, Hawkmoth.”

“If you had Ladybug in your clutches, then why do I not possess her miraculous?”

“Chat Noir stole her before I could, but not all is lost. I have her in a dream state, and in a few short hours, she won’t be able to wake up. Then we scour the city to find her and take it.”

“What if Chat Noir is guarding her, then what?”

“He won’t,” Sandboy replied as confidence oozed off his voice “because he’s here. If he doesn’t leave, he’ll become a prisoner to her mind.”

“Very well Sandboy, just remember my patience is thin.” A numbing headache evaporated, and he let out a sigh. His powers were weakening, and if he didn’t do something drastic, then he would lose her for good. Bringing others into this world would drain more power than he would like, but it was the only way to ensure he got what he wanted. Ladybug, with him, forever.

 

Not even an hour later, the door to Marinette’s balcony cracked open, and Chat slipped back inside.

“Claws in,” He mumbled. The second Plagg released the transformation; he raced over to the closet where Tikki rested. He had remained close after their fight. Nothing was worse than listening to Marinette cry knowing he caused it, Adrien decided. When the crying ceased, he spent the next ten minutes solely focused on her heartbeat. His gaze shifted to the mirror, and instantly he ripped off his mask and fake ears in a moment of anger. The thoughts ran through his head of how he could fix this, but he was one person. Normally he looked to Ladybug for direction, but that wasn’t an option. There couldn’t be any communication with Master Fu. He was alone with full reign on his rescue plan, and he absolutely hated it.

He glanced back at the sleeping girl who had won his heart so long ago. His feet betrayed him, and within a couple of steps, he stood beside her. The itch to reach out and push aside a strand of hair in her face was met with caution, but Adrien gave in. Marinette stirred but sleep kept its claim on her. If Plagg wasn’t as busy tending to Tikki, Adrien was sure he’d be getting an earful.

“I wish I could tell you who I am.” But he couldn’t, not really. “How much I’m in love with you.” Adrien leaned down and ghosted his lips to the top of her head. “Sweet Dreams, Marinette.” Plagg refused to leave Tikki’s side, so he put on his mask once more and curled up in the corner of the room. He would be ready in case she needed protection. His ears twitched as he focused back on her heartbeat until it lulled him into the security of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marichat! because the show needs to show more of it. Let me know what you all think! Chapter 3 (and it's intense) is written so if I get chapter 4 out quickly I might update early.


	3. Crashing Awake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A day early again? What. I'm having to try and keep in consideration now I'm juggling more than one story, something I haven't had to do in a while. I just wanted to thank you guys for all the love, comments and kudos. It means a lot to me. This chapter is intense and I have been waiting all week for you to read it.

Marinette jerked awake in a partial cold sweat, the sun barely peeked over the horizon. Her mind hazy and clouded from being ripped from her sleep. She didn’t recognize her surroundings at first glance until the memory washed over her. She was marrying, Adrien. Today. The thought made her pulse quicken, in several hours her childhood dream would come true. Marinette sat up and instantly clutched what blanket she could when she noticed she wasn’t alone.  
   
He came back.  
   
Relief overwhelmed her as she was hoped that the fight they had was in fact merely a dream. But if Chat were truly mad at her he wouldn’t have come back, would he? She grabbed a blanket when she saw him shiver and drew closer. The simple sight of his chest rising and falling caused her heart to stir. For being connected to destruction, her partner never seemed calmer. He hummed and purred at the new addition of warmth. The act stopped from standing up from her crouched position.  
  
“Oh Chat,” she sighed softly. “I wish I could give you what you want, that things were different. But Adrien has my heart, I’m sure you’ll find the purrfect person for you,” a soft laugh escaped her lips thankful that her Chat wasn’t able to hear it. If he had, she would have to wait for ages for the teasing to pass.  
Her Chat, her mind echoed. Hesitated her fingers reached out to brush the side of his face.  
   
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, I can get very protective of my kitten.” Marinette jumped up in a defensive stance ready to take on the intruder. Imagine her surprise when a floating black cat appeared.  
   
“Plagg?” She walked towards the creature her sleeping partner forgotten. So many questions filled her head. “How can you-“ she had never been able to hold her ladybug form without Tikki, so how can Chat be here if Plagg-  
  
“You won’t believe all the stupid stuff the kid has done for you,” the kwami interrupted her train of thought. Horror oozed through her veins at the potential images that ran through her mind, and there wasn’t any reason she could think of that he would lie. By the sounds of it, Plagg implied that she begged him to do his crazy stunts.  
  
“I didn’t ask him to do anything,” she scoffed in return.  
  
“No, you didn’t,” the black cat continued. “But that won’t stop him from all his decisions revolving around you.”  
  
“I didn’t realize-“ her voice gave way any other words clung to her throat. Chat had saved her numerous times, even if it meant getting sucked into an Akuma attack.  
  
“That’s the least of your worries, Tikki’s energy is fading.”  
  
What?” Marinette gently scooped up her kwami in her hands. “I tried to feed her cookies, but she barely ate anything. We need Master Fu.”  
  
 “That might be a problem. My boy and I searched the city and couldn’t find him.” So it may have been a slight exaggeration, but if he told her everything then she would fall into a state of shock and then who would help his sugar cube?  
  
“Her energy is bringing drained, we need to find the source and stop it,” Marinette replied confidently, and Plagg rolled his eyes. That would be the ideal plan, but to do so, she would need to realize that there’s a fake Adrien. A silence fell between the two as she started to pace. He watched her eyes linger when they landed on his chosen.  
  
“Plagg,” her feet stopped moving, and she had turned back to him. “How can he still be Chat Noir if you’re here?”  
  
“He can’t.”  
  
“Why would he go to a fight without his powers?” Her voice now was shakier than her hands. She knew the answer, but the need to hear him say it grew.  
  
“You know the answer to that too, Sweets.”  
  
“He really does love me, doesn’t he?” Marinette’s question hung in the air and Plagg sighed before replying.  
  
“Chat Noirs and Ladybugs have always had a strong bond whether romantic or not. No need to guess which way my chosen fell. To do something as incredibly stupid as going and fight Sandboy without me is”- Marinette had stopped listening. Her lips repeated the name triggering a memory inside her.  
   
She battled a villain named Sandboy. He interrupted her when she was sketching. Her hands clutched her head as an onslaught of a headache emerged, but her mind pushed through. When was that battle- she couldn’t remember.  
   
_“Ladybug look out!”_ The phrase ripped through every part of her body in Chat Noir’s frantic voice. She could see him on the ground, too far to stop what was about to happen. His scream was followed shortly after by silence and darkness in her mind.  
   
“I need some air,” her shaky voice barely carried through the air.  
   
“Wait, is that a no on the Camembert?” But Plagg’s question fell on deaf ears as she raced out of the room.

* * *

  
   
   
“I don’t have to tell you how dumb of an idea this is, right?” Adrien ignored him as he continued to strip his fake Chat Noir costume to reveal his normal clothes underneath except for his shoes. He had been going over this plan since he woke up this morning and he couldn’t find any downfalls. If she wouldn’t listen to reason as Chat Noir, maybe she would listen to Adrien. “Kid, if she finds out that you lied to her”-

“Do you want to help Tikki or not?” He watched Sandboy leave the house that morning, and he didn’t know how much time he had to carry out his rescue mission. “I’m not leaving her, Plagg. We don’t know how dangerous the other me is, and I won’t leave her with him.” His gaze drifted to Marinette snuggled up on the gazebo seat staring out at the horizon. How could she be this breathtaking? Her hair played with the breeze whipping around her, eyes closed at peace. He opened his mouth to call out to her but couldn’t bring himself to disturb her.

“Well, what are you waiting for Romeo? go win over.” He hesitated to answer because he didn’t want to admit his fear. After everything he witnessed, he knew that she liked Adrien Agreste supermodel extraordinaire, but would she really love Adrien Agreste super sheltered dork who runs around in catsuit for fun? Both sides were part of him, and if anything were to transpire between them, she would need to learn to accept both.

 

Adrien gave himself a pep talk, and it worked until he stood 10 feet from her. If he thought that she looked pretty from the balcony, up close, she radiated beauty. He wasn’t entirely sure whether she realized his proximity, her eyes remained close even if she had. It was next to impossible to ignore the pounding of his heart against his chest.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Marinette’s voice caught him off guard. How could she possibly know he was there? He opened his mouth, but nothing fumbled out, and he forgot any resemblance of his speech. “It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride so close to the wedding.” Relief pooled within him, she didn’t know. She must have thought he was the other Adrien. He stared blankly as she held out her arm beckoning him closer but obliged despite his fear. The second their hands touched the electricity jolted between them. He wondered if she felt it too if she did, there was no reaction. Marinette guided him to sit behind, and the second she rested into his form a new wave of peace inhabited his body. How did he ever carry on in his day without this sensation? The way she leaned back, and her fingers automatically lifted to play with the wisps of his hair at the edge of his neck caused him to close his eyes.  
  
“I love you,” she hummed contently, “I can’t wait to marry and spend the rest of my life with you.” His breath hitched, all air left and re-entered in a matter of seconds. He would give anything to hear her say that over and over.  “A-Adrien, I have something that I need to tell you.” He felt her tense beneath him and prepared himself for the worst news possible. “I don’t know how to tell you this without coming out and saying it.” Oh no, would Marinette confess that Chat Noir kissed her? He didn’t know if he could stomach what choice words she had for him. “I’m Ladybug.” Adrien’s mind rested with the possible what if’s. Instead, he turned his attention to the girl who put one of the biggest secrets into his lap. If he hadn’t found out the previous day, his whole world would spin until his vision dazed. Adrien stares down into her big bluebell eyes hoping to calm the fear reflected in them. He brought her palm up to his lips and left a tender kiss.  
   
“I know,” slipped through the cracks of his hands.  
   
“You knew?” She gasped.  
   
Maybe that wasn’t the best response, Adrien decided as he watched her expression morph into a deer in headlights. It took a couple seconds to register that she needed more information.  
   
“I saw Tikki when you were around, I put two and two together...” Adrien let his voice fade out figuring vagueness was best in this case. So, he left a few things out, like the event transpired yesterday and Plagg had to basically spell it out to him. For once Adrien was relieved that his kwami was upstairs tending to Tikki, if not he would cackle at his confession and never let him live it down.  
  
“How did-Why didn’t you tell me?”  
  
“I thought you kept it a secret for a reason and if you wanted me to know you would tell me.” Adrien wasn’t a stranger to how she felt about secret identities. She shot him down every time faster than he could get the idea out.  
  
“I did want to tell you! I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone, even Chat Noir doesn’t know who I am.”  
  
“Are you going to tell him?” He swallowed hard, he was too far in over his head. He couldn’t tell her he was her partner now. If he did and the other Adrien returned, and she started talking strategy it would make the fight ten times harder. His secret would have to wait until they were safely away from here.  
  
“I trust him with my life, Adrien.” He couldn’t resist the temptation of her lips so close to his anymore and gently leaned in. His mouth was met with expectancy and need; it nearly overloaded him. It brought back the kiss from the other night and how for a second, she kissed him back. Adrien found himself refusing to let her slip away again ran his tongue across her bottom lip. She slid open her mouth accepting him but not before twisting her body lowering the two to the bench. Every inch of Adrien’s body heated as her touch left small fires wherever they went. When she moaned into his mouth, he wanted to be the cause of that sound every time.  
  
“Adrien, wait.” Within a blink of an eye, the weight on him was removed, and Marinette stood at the other side of the gazebo. “I can’t do that, not this close to the wedding. The wedding party will be arriving soon.” Adrien couldn’t believe he allowed himself to get caught up in the fantasy that he was marrying the beautiful woman he kissed seconds before. Without moving, he knew that their make-out session affected him and judging by the flustered appearance, she had her own lust to battle. “We should probably stay separate until the wedding. I need to start to get ready anyway.” Adrien couldn’t ignore the disappointment that well up inside. If they stayed separate how could he convince her to leave? “Besides,” his eyes flickered to her lips again. “The separation will increase the anticipation for tonight. I have something very special that I bought for the occasion.” He knew what she was trying to do, but the thought of Marinette with another guy brought a wave of nausea. His lady, his princess, doing that with-  
  
“Run away with me.” Any other conventional plan Adrien had concocted flew out the window.  
  
“What?” Marinette’s voice hitched for a moment before gaining control. “Adrien, we can’t- the guests, the wedding, I can’t even begin to think of how much cancellation fees. What about Alya, and my parents, there’s no way they would forgive me.” He stood up and closed the distance between taking her hand in his own.  
  
“They would want you happy. Do I make you happy?”  
   
“More than I ever thought possible,” she confessed.  
   
“Even without all this, my name”- he stopped when her fingers gently pressed to his lips.  
   
“I would still love you if you grew up with nothing and needed three jobs to cover your rent. I love you, Adrien.”  
   
The sound of a car horn honking jerked the two out of the spell they were under.  
   
“Alya, Nino,” Marinette breathed out with excitement. She turned and took off towards the driveway.  
“There you are love, I was looking for you.” Adrien’s voice caused her to do a double take as he walked out of the house. “I was going to tell you the good news that Alya and Nino decided to come early.”  
   
There was no possible way that Adrien just left the house when he was sitting next to her a few minutes- the gazebo stood empty. Marinette was sure she left him there when she heard the car approaching. Did she make up that whole conversation? Everything felt so real, their conversations, that kiss -  
   
**Focus Marinette.**  
   
Stress. That had to explain it. The wedding was only a few hours away, and she still had to finish getting ready.  
   
“Alya!” The two embraced in a tight hug. “I can’t believe you’re here,” already the tense feeling peeled off her.  
   
“You better believe it. There’s no way I would miss the wedding between Mr. Sunshine and you.” They released each other from the hug, and she embraced Nino.  
   
“It’s great to see you here Nino. Where would we be without the best man?”  
   
“You wouldn’t have music at your wedding for one thing.” Nino grinned widely.  
   
“I thank you for that. Hopefully, Adrien won’t have to endure too much teasing in your best man speech.”  
   
“I might mention the times when we were waiting for Adrien’s mother to take cookies out of the oven he would practice his catwalk in the kitchen.” Marinette couldn’t hold back a giggle.  
   
“Awww, I wish you had pictures. Little model Adrien. I did the same while waiting for the cookies to cool except I spent my time drawing.” She used her hip to bump his playfully. “I’m going to start getting ready. Get a good look Adrien, next time you see me I become Mrs. Agreste.” Adrien leaned in for a kiss, but she turned her face at the last second for it to land on her cheek. She turned and allowed her hand to wander up to the skin his lips touched, and her lips twitched into a frown. Why did she prefer her dream kiss more than from the man himself?  
   
The trio watched her go, Alya didn’t hesitate to turn to boyfriend. “I’m going to do what I can. Can you carry our luggage up?” She asked earning a nod. Before she could follow Marinette in the house, Adrien caught her by her wrist.  
  
“I don’t know if I can stress how important it is that today goes perfectly.” Alya didn’t know how to explain it, but his tone caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand.  
“Why wouldn’t it?” She replied and shortly realized that he hadn’t let go of her wrist.  
  
“It is your duty as maid of honor to keep the bride calm and happy, so I don’t want to see Marinette running around allowing stress to overwhelm her, understand?” All the time he was talking, his grip increased in pressure.  
  
“Adrien, let go.” She hissed jerking her arm, but his grip tightened. “You’re hurting me.” Instantly he released his grip and held his hands up as he took one step back.  
  
“My apologies.” Alya cocked an eyebrow as she coddled her wrist.  
  
“Hey Babe, do you want this stuff in your- Is everything alright?” Nino rounded the car his arms full of bags.  
  
“Yeah,” Alya answered finding her voice not wanting to start a fight. He did apologize after all. Her eyes never left Adrien’s figure. “I’m going to go help Marinette.” She entered the house without a glance back. Her wrist still slightly burned even though there was no outward damage. The pain burned similar to the time she and Nino went to the beach and came home with a burn because she dove into the sand one too many times hitting the volleyball. Alya shook off the memory, she probably imagined things. Without another thought about the matter, she bounded up the stairs to help her best friend.  
  
 

* * *

  
   
   
 “There’s nothing wrong with Adrien, he’s probably just stressed with the wedding details.”  
  
“I don’t know Mar, he was serious that I do not mess up anything. He said that everything had to be perfect.” Alya began to pace back and forth waiting for her friend to emerge wedding ready.  
  
“Some press will probably cover the wedding,” she replied followed closely by the sound of a zipper.  
  
“Is that what you want?” They had been friends for years, and Alya could never recall a time where Marinette cared about fame or money. It slightly concerned her that Marinette didn’t even stutter at the fact that the press would be there.  
  
“I just want Adrien; the other stuff comes with who he is.” Alya felt the wind got knocked out of her when her best friend stepped from behind the screen. There was no way that Adrien would be able to form a sentence with her looking like that.  
  
“Marinette, you look gorgeous,” she breathed out. The compliment wasn’t enough to distract the bride of the previous comment.  
  
“Come on.” They would settle this once and for all Alya’s eyes widened at the abrupt statement.  
  
“What, where?”  
  
“To show you that your mind is imagining things.”  
  
“But what about the dress? It’s bad luck!” But it seemed that Marinette cared very little about the superstition.   
  
“I won’t get married without my best friend’s blessing,” Marinette explained grabbing Alya’s wrist and dragging her down the hall. They stopped short of the door when they heard shouting.

 

* * *

  
   
“What did you do to him?” This had to rank with some of his crazier ideas, but he couldn’t stand idly by. He had the instinct to protect Alya and Marinette no matter what. His demanding question was met with laughter.  
  
“What are you talking about?” Adrien continued to straighten his tie, Nino’s words bore no weight with him.  
  
“You’re not Adrien Agreste,” Nino stated, and Adrien’s hands faltered at tying the knot. His lips curled to a straight line for a moment regaining his composure. There was no way he figured everything out, he made sure to insert dream memories to prevent this sort of thing.  
  
“Don’t tell me that you helped yourself to the minibar already? Of course, it’s me.” He nudged Nino’s shoulder, “Childhood friend, remember?”  
  
“Except I didn’t meet you until lychee,” he snapped forcefully, “So I’ll ask again, where is my best friend?”  
  
“You should have kept your mouth shut.” Nino swallowed hard as Adrien turned towards him any inkling of friendliness dead. Fear crept up his skin leaving goosebumps in its wake. It’s not like he had his miraculous that he could properly defend himself.  
  
“You won’t get away with this,” Nino shouted.  
  
 “I already have.” The snarl appeared as he continued to close the gap, “and there’s nothing that you or that trouble-maker black cat can do about it.”  
  
“I’ll tell Marinette, and she’ll see right through you and your plan.”  
  
“Then it appears we’re at an impasse and it no longer benefits me to keep you here.” Suddenly Nino’s shoulders were gripped, and Adrien’s green eyes narrowed in. Nino felt nothing for all a second then the sensation hit him like a truck. Every nerve in his body lit in an intense fire pain. His knees started to wobble uncontrollably not being able to carry his weight and Nino couldn’t help but let out an agonizing scream. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of them.”

 

  
Nino bolted upright in a cold sweat and gasped for air. It was only a dream, only a dream, he told himself, but despite how desperately he wanted that to be true, things didn’t add up. One shift from his body sent him wincing in pain.  
  
“Nino!” His name caused him to flail. His eyes scanned the room until they landed on a floating turtle. If Nino hadn’t met him previously, he would have convinced himself that it was a hallucination.  
  
“Dude!” Quickly they went through their handshake. “What are you doing here?”  
  
“I need you to come with me. There’s someone you need to meet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N.- Sorry for the semi-cliffhanger. The good news is Chapter 4 is done, and as soon as Chapter 5 is written it will be posted. (So probably before next weekend). Comment and let me know what you think! Two chapters left.


	4. I Don't Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No puns were hurt in the making of this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.n.- Hey ya'll. Here's the next chapter. I'll be at Disney this weekend so I figured why not post early.

“You call yourself a model? Looks like you’re just sanding there to me.” Sandboy’s eyes snapped to his balcony where Chat perched on the handrail.  
  
“You have interfered for the last time.” A sudden blast of sand shot towards him which Chat dodged easily.  
  
“Something wrong Sandy? You seem tired, maybe you should sleep it off.” He allowed the witty comment to roll off his tongue. Being able to spit off puns was potentially almost too much of a guilty pleasure for him, the ability to say whatever he wanted without being restricted by a list of do’s and don’ts by his father. “Is that all you got? I don’t know what I was so worried about,” one day Chat knew his taunts would get him in trouble, but today couldn’t be that day. Ladybug was out of commission, and he had no clue how to beat this guy. First, he had to lure him away from Mari. “If you want me, you gotta come get me sandpoke.” He jumped from the balcony avoiding yet another blast and made his way towards the guest house in the back.  
  
The location was picked more out of strategy than anything else. Not to mention, it would give Adrien peace of mind if he could lure Sandboy further away but here he had home field advantage. After he slipped away from his conversation with Marinette that morning in the gazebo, he went to work gathering the supplies he would need to lay his trap.  
  
“Here kitty, kitty, kitty, it’s time for your cat nap.” Adrien hid behind some crates stacked to the ceiling.  
  
“That wasn’t original at all, I’m disappointed in you.” Good thing he learned how to throw his voice a year ago. Otherwise, he would have given away his position. His throat constricted as he watched some boxes get demolished.  
  
“What’s stopping me from filling this whole room and having you suffocate slowly?”  
  
“If that’s your idea of romance, I’m questioning why she ever picked you in the first place, to each their own. Who am I to judge?” He used his staff and tripped him from behind. It seemed like the angrier he got, the worse his accuracy got. Bingo. “How you managed to woo her, I’m curious.”  
  
“She loves me,” he growled. It only a split second, but he saw it, he was getting slower with throwing punches and labored breaths. He had to jump into action quickly.  
  
“She loves all of Paris, not the best reason to start a marriage if you ask me. If it were, I would have married her a long time ago.” He leaned in and took a running start, he used the force to slam his body shoving Sandboy just enough to hit the bookshelf containing numerous containers of tar that he had set up.  In efforts to stabilize himself he grabbed the only thing he could, the bookcase trapped him to the floor and the tar pooled beneath him oozing through every sand grain it came in contact with.  
  
“Looks like you’re tarred up. Now if you excuse me, I have a bride to see about a wedding; seems like she’s marrying the wrong man.” Chat smirked watching as Sandboy jerked up to find the bookcase only sunk him further into the tar. Maybe his last jab took it too far, but the thought of anyone using Adrien Agreste to trick his lady caused his blood burn.  
  
Marinette.  
  
He needed to check on her, after all, she thought she was marrying the man of her dreams (a thought he didn’t linger on too long just enough to stroke his ego). Maybe this time he would convince her to get as far away from this place as they could. Only then would they be able to figure out how to be free of this dream.

* * *

  
  
  
“What is this place?” Nino couldn’t help the comment as it tumbled from his mouth. When the Kwami dude led him through alleyways until they reach a door, for a second Nino thought he might die. The second he walked in all of his anxiety stripped away like he took off a coat. The smell spices and herbs greeted his senses full force, but he welcomed it as peace flooded his system. He didn’t know how to describe it, he felt safe.  
  
“Nino, I’ve been expecting you.” The man’s voice caught him by surprise. Despite the greeting, the man didn’t turn from his workstation.  
  
“No offense Dude, but who are you?”  
  
He took a step forward, but the turtle flew into his face sporting a grin. “This is Master Fu, he’s the guardian of the miraculous.”  
  
“Miraculous?” He parroted softly, the information soaking in. His gaze turned until he saw the bodies lying on the table. “Are they?” Nino couldn’t even voice the thought for fear it might be true. What would Paris do if their beloved superheroes were dead? Hawkmoth would have control and-  
  
His thought process halted when Ladybug started thrashing around, and an echo of no’s chorused her lips. Nino’s body tensed as he looked on in terror. Master Fu rushed to her side with a cold cloth and began to dab her forehead gently. Ladybug’s movement subsided despite how shallow and uneven her breaths became.  
  
“They are in trouble and need your help.”  
  
“My help?” He couldn’t have heard correctly. Fighting an Akuma once with the two at his side, but right now they looked indisposed which meant he was fighting alone. “I think you have the wrong guy.”  
  
“We are running out of time. What was going on in your dream?”  
  
“What does that have to do with anything.”  
  
“It’s everything.” Master Fu pushed. “What happened?”  
  
“Well I arrived at Adrien’s house with Alya for Marinette’s wedding, but something with Adrien was off. I thought I was paranoid, but it only grew. Then I-“ he paused as the memory flashed before him. “Marinette and Alya are in trouble, it’s not Adrien.”  
  
“There will be time to help Marinette. Did she seem distant or give any signs that she knew it wasn’t Adrien?”  
  
“I-I don’t know. It went by so fast, and I only saw her for a second.”  
  
“There’s hope yet, but for you to help your friends. If you help me and follow my instructions exactly.”  


* * *

  
Marinette barely was able to grasp her best friend’s hand with the amount of shaking and yet, she couldn’t will her feet to move out of danger. This couldn’t be happening, Adrien couldn’t be the monster she witnessed. The guy she was in love with emulated kindness and goodness, not whatever stone hearted act she witnessed.  
  
“You call yourself a model? Looks like you’re just sanding there to me.” Even though she couldn’t see inside the room, the insult belonged to Chat. And a series of emotions flooded her system.  
  
First, relief, if he was here, it meant he would do everything to protect them. She hadn’t been sure if he would come back given their fight the previous night. It was one thing to need shelter from the outside, another to be willing to talk again, let alone go to battle.  
  
Then Plagg’s words echoed through her mind with the second wave of emotion, worry.  He tacked on another battle where he fought without her putting his life in danger once again. Even if Tikki were in 100% health, she doubted that she could escape or even fight properly with her head spinning. If she went now, she might be putting him in more danger.  
  
  
Alya managed to move first and dragged her back to the bridal suite and locked the door swiftly. "What just happened?" Alya had found her voice first, shaky, but still breathed undertones of strength.  
  
"I don't know,” Marinette replied still at a loss for words. She couldn’t even begin to describe what they saw.  
  
“Marinette!” Alya called for answers a second-time urgency dripping.  
  
“I said I don’t know!” She hushed whispered not to draw attention. Her head pounded, and her legs caved causing her to collide to the bed. Was Nino dead? It would be easier if she didn’t she wiped the whole encounter from her mind, but it wasn’t that easy. His screams filled the house and would haunt her nightmares for months to come.  
The only thing that brought her out of her mind was Alya throwing a suitcase on the bed next to her. “What are you doing?” She stuttered bewildered at her actions.  
  
“We can’t stay here. It’s not safe.”  
  
“But”-  
  
“No buts! Did you not see what he did to Nino?” She couldn’t imagine a situation where Adrien would hurt her, but then again, Nino was his best friend.  
  
“Where would we even go?” She had no contacts outside the city, and if he were as dangerous as he appeared, then she wouldn’t want to put anyone she loved in harm’s way.  
  
“We can figure it out after we leave, but we need to get out of here as soon as possible before“- A sudden knock on the door struck the wind out of her lungs to the point where she needed to gasp to regain oxygen. The two girls looked to each other for cues of how to proceed, but Marinette took a couple steps towards the door.  
  
“Who is it?” Her voice wavered in fear, who can blame her after what she saw?  
  
“It’s me, Princess,” Marinette never felt relief flood her system faster as she jerked open the door and pulled him inside. Her arms immediately wrapped her arms around his torso and breathed in his scent. Nothing could go wrong, he was here.  Her lips kept mumbling an apology again and again, but that it made her feel any better.  
“You don’t have to apologize.” He murmured back into her ear. It didn’t take much for him to melt into the embrace and hold her tighter. His Lady, Marinette, needed him and he was too eager to oblige. “I’m here, everything will be ok,” He cooed.  
  
Marinette pushed against him abruptly the color draining from her face. He must not know-  
  
“Chat,” even saying his name brought forth the courage she needed. “You were right about Adrien. He’s under Hawkmoth’s control and- something happened to Nino!” Normally her Ladybug instincts would have kicked into overdrive by now, her world landed on its head not even 20 minutes ago.  
  
“Bugaboo,” the second he said her nickname her eyes snapped to his green ones. “Breathe.” She followed orders even though her head raced a mile a minute. He knew. With no shred of spandex appeared on her body, but somehow, he knew.  
  
“Alya?” Marinette tore away from his touch to face her best friend. “Could you give us a moment?” As much as Marinette wanted to keep her here, there were conversations that she wasn’t privileged to yet.  
  
“But what if Adrien returns?” Alya objected. Marinette had to see her point, they were weaker apart, but before she could reply, Chat stepped in.  
  
“I wouldn’t worry about him,” he cleared his throat. “I made sure he was tied up. I think I bought us at least 20 minutes.”  
  
Alya nodded but stopped short of the doorway. “If you hear my screams, I expect you to be at my room in no less than 30 seconds.”  
  
“Chat’s honor,” he crossed his heart. The promise was enough to ease her through the door towards her room. When he turned he was instantly captivated by the searching blue-bell eyes he had fallen in love with.  
  
“How long?” Her question caused his heart to drum inside his chest. In reality, he had the knowledge for all of a day, but it felt like he had known for subconsciously for years.  
  
“A day,” the whisper barely made a dent in the tense room.  
  
“How?” He closed his eyes and braces himself because she wouldn’t like his answer.  
  
“When you shoved me into the closet I gained suspicions when I saw Tikki. But you confirmed it when you said that I was jealous of you and Adrien.” If he was truly honest that whole night was a blur, but his answer lined up enough in the truth for it not to matter.  
  
He closed his eyes and let out an exhale of his own, it didn’t feel right holding back from her. “But you also confessed your secret to me this morning.”  
  
“Chat, What are you”- No time to be a coward, he reminded himself.  
  
“Claws in.”

Marinette was sure that all the air got sucked out of her lungs watching the green light engulf his body. The only thing keeping her standing had to be the softness in his eyes. It had to be him, out of everyone in Paris, her partner was Adrien Agreste.  
   
Adrien, the selfless, kind, caring man that sat in front of her every day at school.  The guy who had launched hundreds of ads campaigns with grace and composure, but despite the fame he was given, he still valued his friends and family more. Adrien only got more impressive when she thought about his actions both in battle. He laid down his life for her so many times without a second’s hesitation. He was so far out of her league even with the cat puns in consideration.  
   
“Milady?” His voice cut through her thoughts. “I know I wasn’t the person you pictured behind the mask, and I understand. I wouldn’t have been who I picked-“ Marinette closed the gap between them grasping either side of his face and crashed her lips on his. He froze mostly out of shock but then melted into her touch. Her hands inched up into his blonde locks and tugged earning a grunt. When the need for oxygen became more of a need than continuing Marinette pulled back.  
   
“I wouldn’t have any other person be my partner,” she whispered. This whole time she had made the excuse that she was going to marry Adrien- “Wait, if your Adrien, then how?” Her voice faded out not sure how else to ask the question.  
   
“He’s an imposter.” It made more sense than she was going insane. What other explanation was there to the vast difference in reaction to the same man. “While he’s gone I need to as far from here as possible.” Marinette’s eyes glanced over to the open suitcase and clothes sprawled over her bed. A pit in her stomach twisted, everyone wanted her to run away, but Ladybug wouldn’t. Even if she was scared out of her mind, standing her ground was her only option.  
  
“No.” Her answer hung in the air. Hawkmoth couldn’t be allowed to win. “I’m staying, I’m not letting you fight this battle alone.”  
  
“But what about Tikki-if she’s not fit for fighting-“ he was shushed instantly when her hand cupped his face.  
  
“Then I guess we’ll figure it out together. We talk with Tikki and Plagg and see what our options are, but you need to trust me.” Adrien guided her hand down to leave a ghost of a kiss in the inside of her palm.  
  
“I do.”  
  
“Marinette, I have everything we need-get away from her!” Alya’s voice rang out through the room. The two froze in their intimate moment, and Adrien’s face drained as he realized exactly who she thought he was. “What did you do with Chat Noir?” Venom laced with her voice and for a moment Adrien was convinced that she scared him more than Hawkmoth himself.  
  
Thankfully, Marinette stepped in for him. “Alya, it’s ok. He’s on our side.” Despite her best efforts, her best friend didn’t seem convinced. New plan, catch Alya up to speed, create a plan, defeat Sandboy.

 

Marinette tucked her legs under her while her wedding dress took up the rest of the bench. How she managed to convince Chat that she could do this part of the plan alone was beyond her, but she could still feel his presence near in case she needed him.  
  
Adrien. The whole time it had been Adrien. He had been there flirting, cracking jokes, and risking his life for her on a daily basis. Anger rose throughout her chest, but not towards him, but rather at herself. The only reason Chat dove head first into dangerous situations was because she let him.  
  
_Because he loves you_ , her mind added.  
  
She always knew that he loved her, she wished she realized how much sooner, it would have saved them both heartaches. Maybe that’s their luck came into play, they tiptoed around each other for years, but in the end, they would always have each other. Even though time was wasted, they would have enough because when she was around him time slowed to compensate.  
  
“What are you doing here, my love? The wedding is about to start.” Her gaze flickered up until they met a pair of green eyes. Her body tended out of gut instinct, the knowledge that someone used Adrien’s image to trick her caused her blood to boil. She may have fallen for the warm green eyes in the past, but no more. “Is something wrong?” He reached out, and his fingertips brushed the edges of her arm; nothing, she felt nothing.  
  
“I can’t marry you.” She forced herself to match his gaze.  
  
“But sweetie, it’s our wedding day. Don’t you remember, you wanted to stay with me forever? Come on,” his hand sought hers, but she jerked it away before he formed his grip.  
  
“I don’t love you.” The words stifled the air between the two and Adrien’s eyes widened. “I love someone else. He goes by the name Chat Noir, he is the kindest, most self-sacrificing, loving partner I know and more of a man than you will ever be.” Marinette stood up allowing the anger to flow through her, “I see right through your game, and I will never love you.” She slammed her heel to the ground with the last word, and the ground began to shake.  
  
“What have you done?” Adrien stumbled a couple steps, and his appearance started to shift. Gone was the perfect copycat of Adrien Agreste, instead now fused with another face; Marinette could only guess it had to be the victim of the Akuma attack. His features hardened as he narrowed his focus. “Fine,” he sneered. “If I can’t have you, no one can. I’ll find that cat and skin it alive.”  
  
Marinette’s ticked up into a smirk, undaunted. She knew this was coming, she couldn’t back down or let fear invade her. “Over my dead body. Tikki, spots on.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N.- I hate to leave it there, but next chapter is the last chapter! Can't believe it's already here. For those invested in A Moment in Time, I'm working on it. Like 3.6 k left to write because the chapter decided to be super long. Sometime early next week, I promise.


	5. Dreams are Better Awake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N.- It's so surreal that this is the last chapter. I'm so not used to writing this short of a story, but I'm really proud with where it ends. You all have been the best reader base I could ask for. Thank you for all the love and support on the story. 
> 
> So I'm posting un-betaed, since she can't look at it until this afternoon. I figured you all would prefer it sooner rather than later. I'm pretty sure only subtle changes will be made.

The light engulfed her body leaving behind her second skin in its place. Being out of the suit so long only made her miss it that much more. She dodged a blow and slid into a defensive position.  
  
“You’re not going to win!” she shouted back at him.  
  
“That’s what you think,” Ladybug took pause, Sandboy overflowed with too much confidence. Before she could lead an attack, sand whirled around her and clamped onto her skin to the point where she found that she couldn’t move. She could hear Chat Noir calling her name, but the sandstorm still whirled around them. Her eyes widened as Sandboy walked towards her. “You’re in my world now,” she flinched as he caressed her face. “Find us if you dare cat.” He snapped his fingers, and everything stilled. No ranging wind whipping against her ears nor sand scrapping her face. She didn’t have to open her eyes to know her body was still encased with harden sand. The sound of Chat screaming her name echoed between her ears. It was her plan, she convinced him that she could handle this, only to mess up the plan again. Her blue eyes fluttered open to see that she now resided in a room with a single light over her head struggled to brighten the dim room. Its only companion an old tv screen probably 8 feet away.  
  
“Where are we?” She demanded, although felt silly considering the fact that she could be alone. In the shadows, a figure walked towards her, her communicator blinking in his hand.  
  
“Your kitten is on his way,” he gripped the device tighter. “Although it will take longer with the...changes you made to the landscape.” Marinette had no idea what he was referring to but tried to remain strong. If Sandboy knew there was a crack, he would do everything he could to exploit it. “And because I’m so generous,” he sneered circling her like a vulture does its kill, “I’m going to give you a front row seat to his demise.” Ladybug’s jaw set in determination when he motioned to the tv.   
  
“You will have to kill me before I ever help you.” She spat the last word, but it left him unfazed.  
“But my Dear,” he purred in her ear leaving a pool of goosebumps running up and down her arm. “You already have.” She felt soft pressure on her head, and involuntarily memories began to flash in her mind. Her kiss with Adrien, their confession, times they had spent together curled up on the couch falling asleep to a movie. The images sped up until her mind grew dark again. When she saw the smirk, it clicked what had happened, and her skin paled. “Enjoy the show!” His smug voice caused the hair on the back of her neck desperately wish she could do something to warn him.

* * *

  
  
This was all his fault. He should have anticipated Sandboy’s move, but once he realized what happened the time to act was gone. Adrien fought the strong urge to punch something, because as good as it would feel, it wouldn’t bring her back. She could be anywhere in her mind city let alone if he took her outside. He pulled out his staff and shifted it open. At the sight of a blinking red dot, his heart flipped inside his chest. Sandboy must have forgotten the tracking device inside their communicators. The nearby building collapsing pushed him into a running start in the right direction.  
  
It looked like she was only a couple blocks away, it wouldn’t take him long to catch up. As he jumped from a rooftop, Adrien found that his landing crumbled away. He flailed his arms in attempts to grab something-anything. His fingers latched on what ledge remained, but Adrien could already feel his fingers slipping. Fully prepared to fall he closed his eyes to brace for impact. To his surprise, something grabbed hold of his forearm and hoisted him up to the roof. His green eyes squinted open to see Carapace sporting the biggest grin.   
  
“Sorry, I’m late to the party, had to pick up something.” On cue, Rena landed on the roof behind them.  
  
“Where’s Ladybug?” The mention of her name rubbed salt in the wound and caused Chat’s eyes to sharpen with focus.  
  
“Sandboy has her,” Adrien replied not taking his eyes off the direction that they needed to go. As much as he enjoyed this reunion, the more time they weren’t going after her, the more danger she was in. Sandboy wouldn’t have liked the fact that she turned him down, he wouldn’t have hurt, would he. Nausea overtook him just as his knees started to wobble.

No, he couldn’t think like that.

Obviously, Sandboy was in love with Marinette, and if there was a glimmer of hope that she would eventually return his affections, he shouldn’t harm her.

“We wasted enough time.” The trio started the trek to the warehouse but stopped one building short.

“We can’t go barging in without a plan.” Rena pulled Chat’s arm. As much as he hated it, she was right. If they were disorganized, the battle might have well been lost.

“Rena, you take the right side, Carapace the left. I’ll take the font.” He had to keep his brave face on, despite the tension resting in the air.

“Aren’t you concerned that it’s a trap?” Carapace took the liberty of speaking what the trio was thinking. He could be doing exactly what Sandboy wanted by going through the front door, but it was the best chance for Rena and Carapace to catch him off guard. The very edges of his lips tucked up; good thing he had nine lives. 

“I’m counting on it.” 

  


He slid as quietly as he could through the doors, it may be a trap, but that didn’t mean he had to announce his arrival. The dimly lit hanger screamed of both ambush and ability of stealth; only a matter of time could determine which. The downfall of how large an area there was to cover only was trumped by their numbers. If he drew Sandboy’s focus, then Rena and Carapace could check their quadrants then attack from behind. The question: _are you willing to die for her_ had circled over and over in his mind with the same overwhelming answer every time.  _Yes_.

“Adrien?” The heart in his chest flip-flopped. No, it couldn’t be. When he turned, the sight played with his mind, and he didn’t want to believe it, but how could he argue with something in front of him. The words stuck in his throat, tongue tasted of sandpaper.

“Mom?” It was impossible for her to be here, she was-he thought she was dead. His transformation seemed to melt away when she approached closer leaving a little boy who desperately missed his mother. She was alive, and there in the flesh.

“Why- I mean, how did you get here?” He couldn’t stop his feet from closing the gap between him and his mom. This was the last place that she should possibly be, not with Sandboy loose.

“That doesn’t matter.” She reached out her hand and brushed his cheek with her hand. Adrien relaxed to the touch, closing his eyes savoring the love in the gesture. It had been so long since he experienced the love of his mother and father. “I am so proud of you.” Her fingers combed through his blonde locks affectionately eyes locked on him. 

“Emilie, Adrien,” Gabriel’s voice echoed through the air interrupting the moment. “There you are,” he talked towards the two of them. The surroundings didn’t seem to bother them in the slightest, but he didn’t question it. Gabriel leaned in and ran his nose across the edge of Emilie’s face affectionately. The sight churned his stomach. He missed this; he missed the way his father eyed his with pride.

“Come on, Adrien, let’s go home.” Emilie held out her hand for him.

_Home._

The word brought warmth to every fiber of his being, that’s what he wanted. He wanted a home with loving parents, and family meals, laughter echoing through the halls. Just like the Dupain-Cheng’s had every day.

_Marinette._

“I can’t,” his arm fell back to his side, no matter how much he wanted to join them. Sandboy had taken Marinette, his Lady, and he couldn’t rest until he found her.

“Looking for me?” His breath left his lungs in a second then crashed back in. Marinette stood in the wedding dress from earlier and couldn’t look more stunning.

“But what about-“None of this made sense, he came here to save her.

“He let his guard down, and I outsmarted him.” Her hands grasped his and instantly laced. “Now we can be here, together. I love you.” He wanted nothing more to go with them. The knowledge that this was a fantasy faded when Marinette cupped his cheek. Her bluebell eyes sparkled, and she started to lean in to close the gap.

 

This may as well have been a horror movie, Marinette decided. She viewed her partner who was falling for the illusions Sandboy provided without a second thought. Tears started streaming down her face knowing that unless she had something to break her free from her sand restraints that she was helpless to do anything but watch. Her heart pounded when the fake Marinette tried to entice him for a kiss, only for him to turn his head.

The door handle jiggled drawing her attention. Marinette wanted to scream or do anything to gain their attention, but if it were Sandboy, she would only endure more wrath. It couldn’t be Chat, he was downstairs. When the door opened, her breath hitch. As it swung to reveal Rena, relief flooded her. She could escape.

“Ladybug! I’m so glad to see you.”

“Not as glad to see you. Grab my yo-yo, it’s over there.” Rena did as she asked no questions asked. “Now wrapped it around the sand and then pull.” Marinette’s eyes flickered to the television in time to see Emilie pull out a knife. “Hurry.”

Within a minute the sand that once held her captive lay scattered on the ground. She would have to thank Alya later. The hallways seemed more like endless corridors, but determination pumped through her veins. If anything happened to Chat, she would never forgive herself. Once she reached the overview hanger, her eyes instantly drew to Chat. Who, at the moment, was unaware that Emilie was not even 5 feet away from him; a knife in hand.

“CHAT! LOOK OUT!” Ladybug’s voice rang out through the warehouse, causing Chat to pivot towards her direction. He turned just in time to see Gabriel merge into Emilie and she raised the knife prepared to strike. His feet were glued in place horror draining through his entire system. The Marinette imitation blocked him from any escape. Chat closed his eyes as he struggled to get free; if he were supposed to die here, he’d rather not see it coming. A loud clang followed closely with a thud sounded, and Chat pushed his eyes open. The knife lay on the ground a couple feet away, and Nino perched on a support beam, the biggest smirk played his features.

“Twice in one day, Chat, guess that makes you the damsel in distress.” He ignored the teasing and took the opportunity to leverage his position throwing, fake Marinette on the floor.

“I had it, thanks.”

“It didn’t look like it from up here,” Carapace shot back joining him on the ground. Rena dropped to the base level shortly after.

Ladybug called forth her lucky charm to aid in battle. Imagine her surprise when a bow and arrow drop down to her. What was she going to do with this? She never used a weapon to harm anyone, and she was not going to start now; there must be another reason she was given this over something else. She joined the trio on the ground floor completing the circle around Sandboy.

“It’s over,” she stated. The odds were stacked against him, there was no way that he could make it out on top. Sandboy seemed less impressed at their confidence. The sand from fake Marinette drifted underneath him and morphed into a pillow. He shot into the air giving him the height advantage.  


“The Akuma is in his pillow,” Chat shouted remembering their first battle well. He couldn’t forget it if he tried. “Get me close enough, and I’ll take care of it.” Nino threw his shell, but Sandboy dodged the attack before he could get close. Rena jumped back up the hanger railing to create a more even playing field. In one swoop she reached to grab her flute as her weapon to knock him off, but when she leaped towards him in attack mode; something changed. Her surroundings shifted from the warehouse to the streets of Paris and back within seconds. The change threw her, and she had to roll into her landing to prevent injury.

“Did you see that?” She turned to her teammates in time to see them nod in agreement.

“His powers are weakening!” Nino replied before waging another attack. “He can’t keep the worlds from blending.” The bow in her hand started to burn as her eyes started wandering wondering what she could use it for; then she saw it.

“Then we’ll have to use that to our advantage.” She turned towards Chat who was one step ahead of her. He called forth cataclysm his hand glowing with the destructive power and his sights set on the pillow. Ladybug lined up the arrow and drew her arm back. She aimed towards the pillow, she had few opportunities to get this right. Ladybug waited until Rena distracted him with an attack and let the arrow fly. It clipped the pillow enough to cause it to be unstable Sandboy flew off it. Chat took the opportunity of the pillow falling and leaped towards it. His hand made contact causing it to crumble. Carapace caught Sandboy before he hit the ground his akumatization fading away.

Ladybug swung her yoyo capturing the dark butterfly. “No more evil doing for you little Akuma.” The white butterfly brought such relief in her system. It was over. As lovely as the dream of marrying Adrien was, she was ready to return home.

“Ladybug, your earrings, you don’t have a lot of time.” Marinette heard the 4th beep, she couldn’t have more than a minute left.

  
“Miraculous Ladybug!” She tossed up the lucky charm, and they were engulfed with white light.

Her eyes shot open as her lungs desperately clung to the new air in her gasp. Instantly her transformation dropped, and Marinette managed to catch an exhausted Tikki in her hands. She placed her on the bed knowing that test was all she needed. When she glanced around the room, she recognized the surroundings; Master Fu’s. Out of the corner of her eye, a purple bottle resting on the nightstand with a note caught her attention. 

Marinette couldn’t help but read through the note a couple times through. Master Fu made a memory wipe potion, and he trusted them enough to decide whether they had to take it or not. He couldn’t possibly be suggesting that it was safe for them to retain their memories. They had a couple battles with Hawkmoth himself, and he only got bolder since then. The logical decision would be to drink the potion and allow time to reveal their identities at a different more convenient point. 

  
“Adrien?” She called out. Marinette knew that he would look to her to make the decision for them, after all, she had been the one to be so secretive with her identity. Her strength to do the right thing would be the ultimate deciding factor. Her feet hit the floor, a door on the right side of the door drawing her towards it. “Adrien?” Her hushed tone laced with desperation.  
  
“I’m here, Milady,” Adrien managed to strain through the door. Her heartbeat quickened at his voice. The dream was real, had it not she would have awoken at her desk in the safety of her room. The fight with Sandboy, the confessions, the kisses”- She had kissed Adrien, this would take some getting used to. Her eyes drifted back to the potion on the nightstand. If they took it, then everything in the last 24 hours would be erased, and things would return to normal. Her hand shook until her hand touched the door. Did she want things to go back to normal?  
  
“Did you see the” her voice cracked softly.  
  
“Yeah.” Marinette faintly heard him sigh through the door. Neither daring to open the only thing that separated them, they knew if it did it would make it that much harder.They should take it; for the sake of Paris. Hawkmoth was still at large if one of them were captured.They would eventually find their way back to each other, right? After all, they saw each other on a daily basis, how long would it possibly take?“We have to, Marinette,” even without seeing his face she could hear the pain accompanied by his words.

“For Paris,” she agreed. The lump in her throat refused to diminish. For the first time since she received the miraculous, she wished that Paris needed them less, that she could be selfish with her decisions.Marinette reached to slide the door only feel resistance.

“Wait...If I see you. I might lose my nerve. Master Fu said it could take up to 30 minutes to kick in, please let me take it first. This is hard enough as is Milady.”Her hand instantly retreated to her side.

“As you wish,” a tear slipped down her cheek. This really was happening. They found each other only to get everything stripped away.  
  
“Together, on 3?” Even Adrien’s voice wavered, and Marinette swallowed hard.  
  
“One.” There had to be another way, they could be extra careful or hatch an emergency plan in the event that they did get captured.

“Two.” Marinette wasn’t sure if the odor coming from the potion caused the nauseous wave to overcome here or the decision. Shouldn’t Master Fu barge in and stop them? Tikki had told her that previous holders found out their partner’s identities, why did they have to be different?  
  
“Three,” Marinette whispered to herself. She lifted the vial to her lips with every intent to drink, but when push came to shove, she couldn’t do it.  Knowing who Chat Noir was could potentially put his life in danger if she got caught by Hawkmoth, but she couldn’t go back to going back not knowing that Adrien put himself in harm’s way in each battle. That two of her best friends were the same person, that she could share every detail of her life with.  
   
And she loved him.    
   
She couldn’t imagine her life knowing that she loved everything about him, both as her friend and partner. How could she give that up?  
   
After she placed the bottle down, she turned as the door slid open. The second she heard the door open her body twisted and breathe hitched. “Adrien.” As a first instinct, she ran until her arms could wrap around him. His scent engulfed her, and for the first time since she woke up, she felt as if she could breathe. The sense of security was overwhelming when he wrapped his arms around her completing the hug. This was where she belonged. Whether Adrien or Chat Noir, he grounded her when she was in or out of the mask.  
  
“Do you …feel any different?” Adrien asked his voice lingered outside her ear long after the question. Marinette opened her mouth to answer, but she couldn’t tell him that she decided not to take the potion.  
  
“Not yet,” she replied snuggling her face into his chest.  
  
“No matter what happens, Mar,” Adrien hooked his finger underneath her chin forcing her gaze.  
  
 “I will always love you.” The gap between them closed as he began to leave butterfly kisses on parts of her face until he locked lips with her.  
  
“I love you too.” The words slipped from her lips as she pulled back from the kiss. Her mind dizzy from her new favorite high.  
  
“We will find each other again.” Marinette’s heart wallowed into her chest, with her decision being what it was, she believed him.  
  
A cough pulled them from their moment, and they turned to see Master Fu standing in the doorway.  
  
“It’s late, it’s best for you to head home.” The two didn’t argue and started their walk to the door hand in hand.  
  
  
“But Master, I don’t understand. If the potion didn’t do anything, why offer it in the first place?” Wayzz asked as the two superheroes bounced away.  
  
“Peace of mind is a powerful thing. I could have given them the real thing, but with the winds of change blowing, they’ll need each other more than ever.” He worriedly glanced towards the phonograph. “Besides,” he added with a smile, “both bottles remain full, so it seems they had decided to come together on their own accord.”  
  


* * *

  


“I’m serious!” Marinette exclaimed as she made her way across the room and tossed herself on the bed eyes never leaving the phone screen. The two had fallen back into a semi-usual rhythm, expect she secretly knew she was talking to her partner. The week was already difficult enough, but then to add the fact that she had to resist the urge to touch or kiss him; it drove her mad. She was going to confess how she felt tonight, before Adrien’s father confined him to his room. Face timing each other was better than nothing but not the right platform to express her love.

Adrien had insisted that they watch this show that he found that aired years ago. It held her attention enough to binge several episodes then only want more. But when Adrien asked, she had to be honest. 

“Odd has a sense of humor, not to mention he’s a kick-butt superhero on Lyoko in that catsuit.” Marinette’s words were barely heard over the sound of Adrien’s laughter. “What you thought I would fall for the brooding “bad boy” Ulrich, give me good jokes and a cat boy any day.” Upon realizing what was said both parties grew silent fighting the blush biting at their cheeks. She reached for her water on the nightstand and started to drink to calm the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. 

“Does that include Chat Noir?” She was almost sure that the face she made while spitting out her drink was priceless. The question threw her none the less because she knew who he was, but he didn’t know that she knew.

“That’s none of your business.” She cheekily shot back, but the color sprawled across her cheeks told a different story.

“So it does include him!” Adrien cried in triumph. “I’m going to tell,” his eyes glistened with mischief.

“If you do that, I’ll tell Ladybug about the collection of Ladybug action figures you pretend you that you don’t have in your closet.” Her smirk reappeared knowing that she didn’t have to do anything for Ladybug to find out.

“You know about that?” Adrien expression grew wide of shock and embarrassment. “I can explain.”

“You don’t need to do that,” she reassured. “Chat belongs with Ladybug.” She could say the comment with full confidence with what she knew. “But it would be nice if I found someone who could love me like he loves her.” She got so caught up in her answer that she forgot who she was talking to for a moment, but the damage had already done.

“I think I might know someone who would.” Adrien’s answer sent her mind reeling. Was she too obvious? Or would she have to deal with being set up someone else when all she wanted was on the other side of the screen?

“You do?”

“What are you doing on Friday?” Adrien’s abrupt question caught her even more off guard than his initial statement. 

“Friday?” She parroted glancing over at her calendar even though she knew that she didn’t have any plans. As close as they had gotten, too quick of an answer would scream of desperation. She couldn’t let her feelings take control, he could be asking for numerous reasons. “I’m free.”

“I heard the ice-skating rink opened up a new section and I thought we could go after school and check it out.” Marinette found herself at a crossroads. She couldn’t allow herself to get her hopes up, it could take months or even years for Adrien to come around and realize his feelings for her again. Alya, Nino, Adrien and herself used to go ice skating all the time, and nothing romantic ever came of it.

“Sure, just let me text Alya and Nino,” she went to go click off the screen to open her text window when Adrien’s voice stopped her.

“Actually,” her eyes flickered back to the screen just in time to see Adrien rub the back of his neck nervously. “I was hoping it would be the two of us.” The words circled around in her head as she blinked blankly waiting for her mind to catch up. Was Adrien asking her out?

“The two of us?” As confident as she hoped she sounded, her tone came off more unsure than she would care it to.

“Yeah.” The light pink tint dusted his cheeks softly as he looked anywhere but at her. She didn’t know how to handle this uncharted territory. 

“I’d love to.” She finally answered realizing that the pause in her answer only made Adrien more nervous.

“We’ll go over the details tomorrow?” His voice sounded hopeful, excited even.

“I’ll meet you out front.” The smile exchanged between them warmed both rooms. “I should probably get to bed,” she tucked the hair nervously behind her ear. “It’s getting late, sweet dreams Adrien.”

“Sweet Dreams.” The video ended, and Adrien fell back on his bed the words still sweet on his tongue, “Milady.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.n.- So the reference to the show in the last scene. I stumbled upon some old writing notebooks for my stories of Code Lyoko (one of the first fandoms I posted stories for back in 2004). Thought I would make a nod to it. What's next? I have several one shots planned and finishing Moment in Time through the end of the year. Once January hits I'll be publishing the next set of multi-chapters stories.


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